Back to the Evolutionary Lab..

March 05, 2021

Back to the Evolutionary Lab..

Due to the need of spider macrophotography for a conference, I had the chance to do collect samples from Gua Kelam again. After getting the permission yesterday from the Department of Forestry, Perlis, I went inside the cave with a guider, En. Azzim who has continuously aided me in the sampling last time. It has been like 5 months since the last sampling with an undergraduate student. Around 10 am in the morning, we entered the cave and started to collect spider samples in the dark zone area, about 150 meters inside the cave. What I realized was that, Gua Kelam has been bestowed as one of the GeoParks and there were even a visual-camera (VC) walkie-talkie installed in the cave. This is super splendid!. And I also realized that the running water down at the cave floor has subsided and some part of it have even dried up. So, after 30-40 minutes sampling, we finally arrived at the end of the cave on the other side. Then, En. Azmi took me around to show the new camping site called Camping Ground Hujan-Hujan about 100 meters from the cave entrance. The view was so majestic like you are in Savannah hehee..It was a great experience today, I got the spider samples+got to view the awesome camping site. Gua Kelam cave complex rocks! I love being in Perlis until now...

The front side of the cave entrance 5 months ago this GeoPark sign was not here!..

This is a section of the dark zone, right in the middle of the cave and yet these ferns can grow! Well, there is a spotlight on the opposite cave wall..That is how they get the sunlight.. I could not resist the idea that cave is really an evolutionary laboratory!